7 Weird Things That Happen to Your Body When It Starts to Get Dark Out Earlier

Yes, there's SAD (seasonal affective disorder), but also these surprising side effects.

You might not feel as sharp

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If your brain feels a bit fuzzy as summer eases into fall, you could have the lack of sunlight to blame. One survey of 16,800 participants found an association between decreased exposure to sunlight and increased cognitive impairment. If you arrive at work before the sun rises and leave after it’s gone down, schedule time in your day to talk a walk: Even just 15 minutes of midday sun could stimulate the neural pathways necessary to get you back in prime thinking mode. Need even more office inspo? Here’s are more healthy reasons to take a 15-minute walk.

You might acquire an earlier bedtime

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Because of the human body’s finely tuned circadian rhythm, earlier sunsets typically lend themselves to earlier bedtimes. And because wake-up times are often fixed by school and work timetables, this tends to mean we spend more time asleep in the months with less daylight than ones with more. So what’s a night owl to do? Let it go: Researchers behind the study that found this correlation saw earlier bedtimes as a good thing, and even suggested manipulating lighting schemes during spring and summer to reduce evening light in order to produce a similar effect as what naturally occurs in fall and winter. Don’t miss these weird ways the sun affects your health.